Royal Canadian Sea Cadets

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Royal Canadian Sea Cadets emblem

Cadets Canada logo

The Royal Canadian Sea Cadets is a Canadian national youth cadet organization that is affiliated with the Canadian Forces. Along with the Army Cadets and Air Cadets, the organization constitutes a large portion of the Canadian Forces's recruiting programs. However, it is not a part of the Forces, and members are not expected to join the military. In keeping with Commonwealth custom, the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets are the senior of the three cadet services, due to the Royal Navy's long-standing primacy in the order of precedence, a custom copied by most Commonwealth navies, including the pre-1968 Royal Canadian Navy (RCN).

Cadets can be between the ages of 12 and 18, and may be males or females. The regular ranking system of the regular forces remains, but cadets can only attain Non-Commissioned Officer status as all officers are adults, often former cadets, serving in the Cadet Instructors Cadre(CIC), comprimising the officer staff of the Royal Canadian Sea, Army, and Air Cadets. CIC members are commissioned officers of the Canadian Forces. The organization is administered by the Department of National Defence (DND), staffed by the Canadian Forces and funded by both the civilian Navy League of Canada (NL) and DND. The official goals of the Sea Cadets are as follows, and, with the exception of the last, are shared by all three Canadian cadet services:

1. To promote citizenship in Canadian youth.
2. To promote physical fitness.
3. To promote self-discipline.
4. To foster good comradeship and pride in a common purpose.
5. To develop skills in seamanship and leadership.
6. To acquaint sea cadets with the sea element of the Canadian Forces.

Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps

Individual cadets belong to units are called Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Corps (RCSCC), or Corps de cadet de la Marine royale canadienne (CCMRC), and are the basic operating units of the program. The corps is comprised of CIC officers, often assisted by Civilian Instructors (CI), and cadets. All but the smallest corps maintain several departments, typically including Training, Administration, and Supply, while larger units maintain training-support organisations, including Range, Boatshed, Sail, and PERI (Physical Education and Recreational Instruction. Training, Administration, and Supply operate under the direction of a CIC officer, possibly with an assistant, and a senior cadet, while the others, with the exception of Range, are often run by a senior cadet.

Primary Departments

• The Training Department is comprised of the Training Officer (TrgO), Training Chief or Petty Officer (TrgCPO/PO), and a staff of senior cadets and adult staff, often with other duties within the unit, serving as instructors for the Phase Training Program - the basic Sea Cadet syllabus. The TrgCPO/PO is often responsible for maintaining each cadet's training record, as well as handling resources and rating cadet instructors.

• The Administration Department is comprised of the Administration Officer (AdmO) and Administration Chief or Petty Officer (AdmCPO/PO), who wears the quill-pen and paper badge of a Ship's Writer, and may be referred to as such. Administration handles all incoming and outgoing mail, as well as maintaining corps records other than those specifically handled by Training or Supply.

• The Supply (or Stores) Department is composed of a Supply (or Stores) Officer, sometimes assisted by a senior cadet, who is entitled to wear the crossed-keys badge of a Storesman. The Supply Department is responsible for all equipment belonging to the corps; however, Supply tends to be primarily concerned with supplying cadets with uniforms and related gear.

• Range: Most units will have at least one trained Range Safety Officer (RSO) and might conduct training in safe and effective target shooting using either the Daisy Air Rifle, which is not rated as a firearm, and thus may be used in almost any location of sufficient size, or, more rarely, .22 calibre Lee Enfield or Anschutz bolt action rifles. The former are, except for the barrel, virtually indistinguishable from the rifles used by Commonwealth forces in WWII and Korea, while the Anschutz are purpose-made target rifles.

• Sail: Many units run a sailing program using small dinghies, typically Pirate- or 420-class vessels, although other comparable designs are used, including Lasers, Olympic-class 470s, and International Cadets. This program is often staffed by a civilian sailing instructor, who is assisted by trained cadets. The Sea Cadet sailing program uses Canadian Yachting Association levels and material.

• Boatshed: This support department handles all the water-related needs of the corps, including maintenance of the sailing dinghies and other small craft, as well as supporting seamanship work off the water.

Items funded by the sponsoring group include:

• Accomodations for parade nights; local schools and community centres are typical, but some units are able to use Reserve armouries. A very few have their own building. Regardless of the building, the location the unit parades at tends to be referred to as "the barracks."

• Optional Training, which includes everything not funded by DND.

Ranks of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets

The following are the rank badges of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets[Royal Canadian Sea Cadets Badges - Insignes de la Marine royale du Canada][The information for promotion criteria: from Annex A of CATO 33-01]: In addition to the rank-specific criteria given below, all promotions are subject to the approval of the cadet's Commanding Officer, who generally promotes based on the advice of Divisional Officers and unit training staff.

Rank and Description	Rank Badge
Ordinary Cadet Upon joining the Sea Cadets, an individual is designated as an Ordinary Cadet (OC) (or cad3 in French). He/She doesn’t have to complete any prior training, successfully complete any performance or enabling check, or meet any prerequisites; however, custom dictates that such a cadet will have been "sworn in" in front of his/her unit, making a promise of loyalty to the Crown and obedience to orders. The cadet rated to this rank doesn’t wear a rank badge.
Able Cadet In order to be eligible for promotion to the rank of AC (or cad2 in French), the cadet must meet the following prerequisites: hold the rank of OC; have successfully completed Phase I from the LHQ program; maintain a satisfactory level of dress and deportment; and be recommended by his/her Divisional Officer. Cadets promoted to this rank shall wear the AC badge in accordance with current Sea Cadet Dress Instructions.	80px
Leading Cadet In order to be eligible for promotion to the rank of LC (or cad1 in French), the cadet must meet the following prerequisites: hold the rank of AC; have successfully completed Phase II from the LHQ program; maintain a satisfactory level of dress and deportment; and be recommended by his/her Divisional Officer. Cadets promoted to this rank shall wear the LC badge in accordance with current Sea Cadet Dress Instructions.	80px
Petty Officer Second Class In order to be eligible for promotion to the rank of PO2 (or Cm2 in French), the cadet must meet the following prerequisites: hold the rank of LC; have successfully completed Phase III from the LHQ program; maintain a satisfactory level of dress and deportment; and be recommended by his/her Divisional Officer. Cadets promoted to this rank shall wear the PO2 badge in accordance with current Sea Cadet Dress Instructions.	80px
Qualified Petty Officer First Class In order to be eligible for promotion to the rank of QPO1 (or Cm1(A) in French), the cadet must meet the following prerequisites: hold the rank of PO2; have successfully completed Phase IV from the LHQ program; maintain a satisfactory level of dress and deportment; and be recommended by his/her Divisional Officer. Cadets promoted to this rank shall wear the QPO1 badge in accordance with current Sea Cadet Dress Instructions.	80px
Petty Officer First Class In order to be eligible for promotion to the rank of PO1, the cadet must meet the following prerequisites: must have passed the national PO1 Performance Check; must have held the rank of QPO1 for at least 6 months; maintain a satisfactory level of dress and deportment; must be recommended by the Merit Review Board; and there must be a vacancy on the corps PO1 establishment. Cadets promoted to this rank shall wear the PO1 badge in accordance with current Sea Cadet Dress Instructions.	80px
Chief Petty Officer Second Class In order to be eligible for promotion to the rank of CPO2 (Pm2 in French), the cadet must meet the following prerequisites: must have held the rank of PO1 for at least 6 months; maintain a satisfactory level of dress and deportment; must be recommended by the Merit Review Board; and there must be a vacancy on the corps CPO2 establishment. Cadets promoted to this rank shall wear the CPO2 badge in accordance with current Sea Cadet Dress Instructions.	80px
Chief Petty Officer First Class In order to be eligible for promotion to the rank of CPO1 (Pm1 in Frnech), the cadet must meet the following prerequisites: must have held the rank of CPO2 for at least 6 months; maintain a satisfactory level of dress and deportment; must be recommended by the Merit Review Board; and there must be a vacancy on the corps CPO1 establishment - one per corps. Cadets promoted to this rank shall wear the CPO1 badge in accordance with current Sea Cadet Dress Instructions.	80px
CPO1 (SCSTC) This rank, based on the Base Warrant Officer/Chief Petty Officer rank of the CF, is worn by a Royal Canadian Sea Cadet employed as the Cadet Coxswain (capitaine d'armes cadet in French) of a Sea Cadet Summer Training Centre. This rank may not be worn for any other reason.	80px

List of Sea Cadet Corps in Canada

Summer Training Centres

Summer Training Centres are for extra training outside of the yearly September to June training. Those applying for Summer Camp will require 75% attendance in the normal training year.

• [HMCS Quadra] - Comox, British Columbia
• [HMCS Ontario] - Kingston, Ontario
• [HMCS Avalon] - St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
• [HMCS Acadia] - Cornwallis, Nova Scotia
• [HMCS Québec] - Ste-Angèle-de-Laval, Québec (Link in French, only)

HMCS Quadra, located in Comox, British Columbia, is the second largest Sea Cadet camp in Canada. It employs close to 150 staff cadets every year, whose tasks vary from general maintenance to physical fitness to boat instruction. Quadra is the only Sea Cadet camp in Canada to include all four trades plus three of the four specialty trades (Marine Engineering, Shipwright, and Silver Sail).

HMCS Ontario, located at the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario, is one of the smaller camps in Canada. It is home to all four trades, but only includes the first level of training in the Boatswain course. And hosts the Air Cadet Athletic Instructor (AI) course. HMCS Ontario is more centred around physical fitness then most of the other Sea Cadet camps.

HMCS Avalon, located in St. John's, Newfoundland, is currently the smallest Sea Cadet camp in Canada. It only includes the first stage of the Sail trade and the first stage of the Band trade. Over all, the camps holds roughly 120 cadets during the summer.

HMCS Acadia, located in Cornwallis, Nova Scotia, is the largest Sea Cadet Camp in Canada. During the course of the summer, HMCS Acadia is home to roughly 1200 cadets who are undergoing training. Acadia provides training in all four trades and is known to have cadets from Bermuda, the United States, and the Royal Canadian Air Cadet program.

HMCS Québec, located in Ste-Angèle de Laval, Québec, is the only Sea Cadet camp that is entirely French. It trains cadets in all four trades plus a few of the specialty trades. HMCS Québec occupies a school during the summer season.

Flag - Royal Canadian Sea Cadets

The Sea Cadets used a variety of flags in their history: some corps flew the White Ensign until 1929; they then used the Canadian Blue Ensign and the flag of the Navy League of Canada until 1953. In that year, the Chief of Naval Service approved a design for the Royal Canadian Sea Cadet Flag: a white flag with the Union Flag in the canton, and, on the fly, the badge of the Cadets, a gold anchor on a blue roundel surrounded by red maple leaves and surmounted by a Naval Crown. In 1976, the Sovereign approved a new design which replaced the Union flag in the canton with the Maple Leaf Flag.

Admiral of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets

His Royal Highness the Prince Philip Duke of Edinburgh is the Admiral of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets since 1953. The first Admiral of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets was His Majesty King George VI since 1941, when the Navy League Sea Cadets became the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets.

Captain[N] Dr. Marc Garneau is the Honorary Captain of the Royal Canadian Sea Cadets.

References

See also

• Cadet Instructors Cadre
• Canadian Armed Forces
• List of Canadian organizations with royal patronage
• Other Sea Cadet organisations

Air  |  
Army  |    Sea

External references

• [International Sea Cadet Association]
• [Forum des cadets de la marine]
• [Royal Canadian Sea Cadets' Website.]
• [RCSCC Champlain, Quebec, QC] (French site)
• [RCSCC Undaunted, Calgary, AB]
• [RCSCC Warrior, Edmonton, AB]
• [Cadet World] (forum)

International	International Sea Cadet Association
Australia	Australian Navy Cadets
Belgium	Royal Belgian Sea Cadet Corps
Bermuda	Bermuda Sea Cadet Corps
Canada	Navy League Wrennette Corp
Canada	Royal Canadian Sea Cadets
Canada	List of Sea Cadet Corps in Canada
New Zealand	New Zealand Sea Cadet Corps
United Kingdom	Sea Cadet Corps
United Kingdom	The Marine Society & Sea Cadets
United States	United States Naval Sea Cadet Corps

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